"We are not alone. Africa, Asia and free and liberated people from every corner of the world will always be found at the side of the Congolese" by Patrice Lumumba

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Activists Successfully Demonstrate Against Paul Kagame in Europe

President Kagame did not attend the round table discussion he was supposed to participate in, nor did he show up for his keynote speech in Belgium on Monday, December 6th. The Belgian Prime Minster, the Foreign Minister, and the Development Minister all told Kagame that there schedules were too full to meet with him.

Activists demonstrated against Kagame's presence in Belgium and called on European leaders to hold him accountable for the atrocities committed in Congo and the repressive practices in Rwanda proper.

Rusesabagina Asks International Community to Hold Rwanda Accountable;Responds to Rwandan Government Harassment

Brussels, Belgium -- Today Paul Rusesabagina, President and founder of the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation (HRRF) will join peaceful demonstrators to protest the appearance of Rwandan President Paul Kagame at the European Development Days conference.

The demonstration will be held at 14:00 (2:00 p.m.) at Rue Mont des Arts 1000 in Brussels.

Demonstrators wish to call the attention of the international community to the killing and human rights violations being committed by the current Rwandan regime. Some of these actions are detailed in the report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) “Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1993-2003, The Report of the Mapping Exercise.”

Today Rusesabagina is also releasing a copy of his letter to United States President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Yves Leterme (attached) asking Obama to prevent Kagame from doing even more harm to his own Rwandan people and to millions of others in the Great Lakes Region of Africa.

The letter cites the violence and oppressive tactics used by Kagame’s government including well-documented assaults, arrests, suppression and assassination of political opponents and all independent media.

In the letter, Rusesabagina addresses charges that the Rwanda government has made against him in the press. “I have never given money to terrorists,” said Rusesabagina.

The most recents attacks on Rusesabagina came after the HRRF sent out a press release about the UN mapping report. Today he said: “The Rwandan government must be very afraid of the facts about their actions in Congo that are disclosed in this report. They are going to great lengths to discourage the international community from taking action on the crimes documented in the report.”

Rusesabagina will be available for interviews at the demonstration or by telephone. He can be reached directly by calling +32 4874 10774 or call Kitty Kurth at +44 7587 063130 to schedule an interview.